Brooks Cascadia 8 Review
Each year, Brooks come out with an updated version of the increasing popular Cascadia. And while changes to this trail running shoe are eminent, the designers at Brooks have done a great job at making subtle changes. The reason for this is because the Brooks Cascadia has a dedicated following and there is no need to rock the boat when you have a good thing going. That said, even though the Brooks Cascadia looks different on the outside(design), much of Brooks Cascadia 8 is the same on the inside.
The Brooks Cascadia 8 is the perfect trail running shoe for the runner that enjoys trails that range from gravel rock paths to rocky rutty technical trails. One of the new changes to the Cascadia 8 is the addition of the EVA used Bio MOGO DNA. And while this change sounds new and exciting, the ground contact doesn’t feel much different from the previous version, the Cascadia 7. Another change that you will see in the new Brooks Cascadia 8 is this shoes weighs 11.9 oz, .3 oz less than the Cascadia 7. This change is significant enough to mention, but I found it hard to tell the difference.
The fit of the Brooks Cascadia 8 will work for most runners except those that have extremely wide or narrow feet. The toe box has just enough room, so it’s not super boxy and it doesn’t make you wish you had 4 toes. Around the toe box, there is a minor rock guard that will keep your toenails in tact if you stub your toe on a rock or root from time to time.
Around the ankle, the Cascadia 8 does a nice job at providing enough padding to keep your foot in the shoe with minimal to no slippage. I personally had no slippage in the heel, but if you have a narrow heel, I would try the shoe on before you buy or make sure the online store has an easy return policy. Another update worth mentioning is the eyelet on the tongue that keeps the tongue on the shoe from sliding down to the side of the shoe. This has been a problem in road and trail running shoes for years and I am happy to report that the addition of this eyelet provides a solution to this age old problem. Nice work Brooks! The mesh used in the upper on this shoe is finely woven so it doesn’t allow a lot of larger pebbles to get through the mesh. However, the shoe will let in sand and smaller particles which goes hand in hand with most trail running shoes as long as you want your shoe to breath well. I also feel that getting your feet a little dirty is a right of passage.
The lugs on the Brooks Cascadia 8 are aggressive enough to get you most places you want to go, but I wouldn’t say the have the most aggressive lugs for trail running shoes on the market. What this means is that they will do well for moderate hills, but if you are consistently running uphill, the lugs will wear down faster than other super luggy trail running shoes. If you’re doing regular to semi aggressive trail running, the Cascadia 8 lugs will work just fine.
I could honestly go on and on with tons of adjectives about how great the Brooks Cascadia 8 are, but all I really need to say is go out and get a pair, they rock!
